An aerostat derives its lift from the buoyancy of surrounding air, rather than from aerodynamic motion as in the case of an airplane, or from propulsive forces as in the case of a rocket. Moreover, like a balloon, an aerostat can derive lift only when it is inflated with a lighter-than-air gas, such as helium. More specifically, this requires the aerostat be inflated to a relatively large volume. Due to its increased size during flight operations, it is desirable that the aerostat be deflated when it is not being flown.
For the operational cycle of an inflated/deflated aerostat, the ability of the aerostat to be easily transitioned from one configuration to the other may be of crucial importance to the operator. If done quickly and efficiently, this reconfiguration can require the accomplishment of several specific tasks. For instance, once an aerostat has been deflated, it must then somehow be stored. And, in general, this requires the aerostat be folded and placed in an appropriate container. Preferably, the containerized aerostat can be stabilized and kept reasonably compact during storage. It is also preferable that the container be easily transportable. Further, and perhaps more importantly, it may be an essential capability of the containerized aerostat that it be reliably and conveniently inflated for subsequent deployment.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device for storing and deploying an aerostat that will inflate the aerostat as it is being deployed from its storage container. Another object of the present invention is to provide a device and a method that allows an aerostat to be properly stored in the container prior to deployment. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device and a method for storing an aerostat in a container, and for subsequently deploying the aerostat from the container that is easy to use, is relatively simple to manufacture, and is comparatively cost effective.